The Theft of a Magic Sword
by Amasis Isis-Ra
Summary: two brothers learn what they truly value the most.


The Theft of a Magic Sword

**Budapest, Hungary**

**Small Village Town**

In Budapest, Hungary, during the late hours of the night, Dimitri and Raphael break into Max's home. Max is upstairs sleeping soundly. The brothers find their way in the dark to the living room of the old house. Dimitri and Raphael try not to bump into anything that would wake Richard from his sleep. The brothers make their way blindly to the opposite ends of the room. Dimitri is at right center and Raphael at left center. They feel around on the table for a candle that they can light to bring light to the dark room.

Simultaneously the brothers put their left hand on what feels like a dusty candle, first they wipe the dust off the candle using their left hand, then with their right hand they pull out a box of matches from a pocket from their robes. Dimitri and Raphael remove a single match from the box and light it then using the lit matches; the brothers light the candles simultaneously. Once the candles are lit, the brothers notice large amounts of dust all over the furniture and they can see their hand and footprints everywhere. The brothers move to center stage and speak quietly.

"This person does not have anyone to clean his house for him, does he?" Raphael asked quietly.

"Not from what we are seeing, Max must spend most of his time in his room," Dimitri answered in a low voice. Raphael glances around the room briefly before he talks to Dimitri about what is really on his mind.

"Dimitri, so you do remember the old man that lives here," Raphael continued quietly.

"Yeah, I remember Max, what about him, Raphael. Would you like to tell me why we broke into Max's house in the middle of the night?" Dimitri asked thoughtfully. Raphael glances around the dust collected room once more, then he answers Dimitri's question in a quiet voice.

"The reason why we broke into Max's house is that he has a Magic Sword in his possession. This incredible sword is somewhere in this house - maybe in the window as it was when we were younger - but there is a possibility that he moved it. I want that sword, because with it I will have more power than I felt that day!" Raphael laughs menacingly, but quietly.

"Is that not the sword we saw in his window when were little kids?" Raphael nods his head eagerly. "I have always wondered why Max has that sword anyway . . ." Raphael shakes his head vigorously.

"You always wonder too much."

"What makes you want to go after this sword now anyway?" Dimitri asked thoughtfully.

"I remembered something I did when I was younger."

"Would you care to enlighten me?" Raphael becomes lost in thought.

"I will tell you later."

"Sure you will. Anyway, how are you planning to steal that sword?" Dimitri asked sarcastically.

"I will tell you in a moment," Raphael said. Dimitri and Raphael search the quiet room for the sword by first looking under the two tables on the opposite sides of the room.

"Raphael, so how are we going to get that sword since you want it so much?" Dimitri asked quietly. Dimitri runs his hands across the wall in search of the sword. Raphael moves from the table on the left side of the couch to in front of the couch, there he gets down on his hands and knees and looks under the couch as he answers Dimitri's question.

"We are going to find the sword, steal it, and then we are going to leave the house," Raphael replied quietly. Dimitri tries to get out of the heist.

"Can you not do this yourself?"

"Everything you ever did, I did with you, remember?" Dimitri nods his head slightly.

"So how does my plan sound?"

"Honestly, your plan sounds like it might just get the two of us arrested, and I do not plan to be arrested any time soon," Dimitri said in a sarcastic tone.

"I am going to ignore the fact that you just brought up 'getting arrested', but I will say this, you can always back out and save your own hide."

"Why, so you can have the Magic Sword all to yourself?" Dimitri asked smugly. Raphael nods his head eagerly.

"I do not think so!" Dimitri said. _Even though I have said this, how can I be sure that __Rapha__el will even share the sword with me when we finally get __it__?_ Dimitri and Raphael walk back to center stage, very quietly so they do not wake Max.

"Dimitri, do you know where the sword is located?"

"I think we should double check the areas we already checked, just to make sure we did not over look something, and to make sure the sword is where you guessed - in the window - and prove you right." They search the areas they already searched earlier and they do it in complete silence, once the search is complete, the brothers move back to center stage and speak in low voices. "You are right; the sword is here in the window like when we were younger!" Dimitri said eagerly. The brothers look towards the closed window on the right side of the open door. The window has a moth-eaten black curtain drawn around it.

"Now you sense it?" Raphael said frustrated and then he said in a harsh tone. "GRAB IT!" The two brothers run towards the sword with just a little too much noise, because Raphael kicks an old empty can that is on the floor and it clatters across the dusty floor as they continue to run. As they get closer to the sword, they hear an angry voice somewhere deeper inside the house; the speaker is offstage right now.

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE, YOU TWO!" Max shouted angrily. The brothers stop in their tracks just a few feet from the sword and face each other. Max enters stage right and moves to stand at up center. The brothers slowly turn to look at Max's angry face. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE AT THIS HOUR? IN FACT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE AT ALL?"

"Well... we were just here to help you clean your house," Dimitri said quietly and then more confidently. "I mean look at how dirty this place is." Dimitri sweeps his left hand around the room. "This house looks like it has not been cleaned in centuries. I mean look at that table over there." Dimitri points to the table at right center. "It is so dusty I can hide in it!" Dimitri laughs hoarsely. Max growls at Dimitri bearing his pointy teeth at him angrily. Dimitri backs away slightly in fear.

"Dimitri, just what are you doing?" Raphael asked terrified.

"I am trying to save our hides!" Dimitri replied just as terrified as his brother. Max charges at the brothers, he raises his cane in the air ready to strike them. Raphael looks at the old man and then at his brother.

"Is that so?" Raphael asked. "WELL IT DID NOT WORK!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET US GET OUT OF HERE!" Dimitri yelled. "However, if you want to stay here, I will too so I can protect you." Raphael nods. Together the brothers hide behind the old couch at left center for a while, Dimitri watches Max's actions over the top of the couch. Max stops running just a few feet away from his sword. He opens the old curtain to the window where he keeps his sword, to see if it is still there on his sword rack. The sword is right where he always leaves it Richard closes the curtain. Max smirks as he exits stage left. The brothers move to sit on the couch to talk. Dimitri's breathing is heavy.

"What is so special about this sword anyway? Max seemed surprised that it has not been stolen yet and then he smirked as he left the room," Dimitri said quietly. In a low voice, Raphael describes the sword to Dimitri to the exact detail that he remembers.

"The sword is of normal length. The hilt and the handle are both pitch black and made of a special metal. The hilt has three different jewels engraved in it. The single Bloodstone in the middle of the hand guard is used to turn a Human into a Vampire, the two Amethyst stones at the end of the hand guard are used to turn a Human into a Devil, and the four Emerald stones, surrounding the others are used to turn a Human into a Demon. However, these changes depend on what the owner of the sword wants. From the hilt hangs a single red tassel. Now the blade itself is made out of a special magical metal that glows in dim lighting and there is a slight red tinge throughout the metal. An infamous Sorcerer created the sword many centuries ago. He used this sword to take care of his enemies; he changed them into creatures that he can control easily with his magic. One of his enemies was Max, who was born a Shadow Demon, but the Sorcerer could not control him to well. Max lived near the Sorcerer's vast castle and one night he snuck into the castle and searched for the Sorcerer, and once Max found him, he murdered the old Sorcerer, and then he stole the sword and kept it for himself. In addition, to this day Max uses the sword to try to gain control over the young men of the world; he wants total world domination," Raphael described the sword perfectly. Dimitri's eyes are wide in utter horror.

"How do you know so much about this sword?" Dimitri asked stunned.

"The sword told me its whole history in my mind almost every time I walked passed Max's house in the past. Anyway as I was saying, Max will never be able to control me, because my will is as strong as iron," Raphael said nonchalantly. Dimitri seems to be thinking of a way to trump Raphael.

"Actually, Raphael, my will is stronger than yours is." Raphael outdoes Dimitri with mere ease.

"Dimitri, if you have such a strong will, you would try again for the sword." Dimitri shakes his head reluctantly.

"No, but since you know so much information about the sword what is it called?"

"It is called the Blood sword," Raphael said with confidence.

"That is utterly crazy! This whole damn thing is crazy!" Dimitri said in disbelief. Raphael ignores Dimitri's remark.

"The first try was a fluke; we will try it again in a moment, after I figure out another plan. I know I can get that sword! I am sure of it!" Dimitri shivers violently as he speaks.

"We will not! That crazy old man scares the living hell out of me!" Raphael taunts his brother with ease.

"Coward! Coward!"

"You can call me a coward all you want. I will not risk my life again for a Godforsaken sword! Continue to mock me if you wish, but I am not changing my mind!" Dimitri said in a serious tone.

"It is not Godforsaken; it is a wonderful Magic Sword, Dimitri! It will give you all of the power you ever wanted! Imagine wielding power beyond your wildest dreams, to hold such greatness in your very hands!" Raphael said persuasively.

"You mean the power _**you**_ wish to wield. I, however, am not flattered by the thoughts of power! I _**refuse**_ to try again and neither will you, do you understand me? Now let us promise each other that neither of us will steal that sword, and shake on it," Dimitri retorted. Dimitri shakes Raphael's right hand with his left hand, but he fails to notice that Raphael has his left hand behind his back with his fingers crossed. "Let us see if it is safe enough to get out of here and I mean out of the house!" Dimitri leaves the house. Raphael disobeys his brother completely.

"No, that sword is as good as mine. I will get that sword one way or the other." Raphael heads off to a different room. Max enters the room; his cane is in his left hand.

"I know I got out of hand before, but now that I am calmer, I can tell you what I am thinking. Why do young people always tend to think I am too old to protect myself? I will tell you why. They say things like this, because I look old, I mean with my long silver gray hair and my cane," Max said to no one particular. Max places his right hand over his left hand. "But to tell you the truth I am only in my early fifties - in Human years that is –" he smirks. "This is quite young if you ask me. So I ask of you again, why do young people always tend to think I am too old to protect myself? Appearance, that is why. Let us just say this, do not let appearances deceive you..." Max laughs as he exits the room. Raphael enters the room and he reminisces on his past; his voice softens as he speaks.

"Since I first saw the sword, the beauty of its blade infatuated me. I do not understand now and I did not understand then, because never before in my life have I felt anything so powerful. The times I walked passed Max's house, I could not help myself, I had to take another glance to see if the sword was still there; it always was. I knew I just had to steal the sword, a feat that was postponed since my accident. Nevertheless, I have returned with my intent still the same. Alas, how can I possibly swipe the sword right from under the nose of Old Man Max alone since Dimitri backed out of this heist? Therefore, I will have the sword all to myself after all! Maybe I can sneak into the living room while the old man is sleeping and switch the Magic Sword with my plain old sword. Yes, this is just what I will do," Raphael said. Raphael draws his sword and prepares himself for another go at getting the Blood Sword, and then he exits stage left. Dimitri re-enters the house to speak to the audience.

"I need to stay here so I can protect my brother from danger. I did not realize it until recently that my brother, Raphael, is very ambitious and power hungry. All he wants is more power and he does not care how he gets it. Raphael needs to learn that he cannot get everything he wants and desires in one lifetime. Moreover, the perfect person to teach him this... is... Max. I hope I am making the right choice... Honestly, I did not know that Raphael kept looking at the sword that is always in Max's window. However, for some reason I could never figure out what was going through Raphael's mind, as I usually can, until now. That sword has been slowly influencing Raphael's actions; the sword is what caused him to do that terrible deed nine years ago," Dimitri said. Dimitri exits the house again as Raphael enters stage left; their eyes meet briefly before Dimitri leaves the room.

Raphael moves to stand at up center, his sword is in his left hand, and the Blood Sword is at down center, in the closed window with the curtain closed around it. "Now I finally get to put my plan into action," Raphael said excitedly. Raphael walks to down center and stands in front of the shielded Blood Sword. "Now to perform the switch, and then I will be the most powerful man that has ever walked the Earth!"

Raphael laughs menacingly, again quietly. He pulls back the curtain to reveal the sword on the stand; he picks up the sword and replaces it with his. He then puts the sheath through the belt on his waist, on his right side. Then he pulls the curtain back around the sword. Raphael raises his voice in triumph. "HA, THE SWORD AND THE POWER ARE MINE! THIS SWORD WILL BE MINE FOREVER!" Raphael said loudly in triumph. Raphael has a big smile on his face as he exits the room. Max enters from backstage; he draws the curtain from around the sword's stand.

"Hmm so it seems that a Demtatos brother has stolen my sword after all. I do know the difference between a Mortal blade and a Magical blade," Max said in a low hiss of a voice. With this, he picks up Raphael's old sword and throws it to the ground with great force, the blade shatters into many glittering shards, and then Max kicks the pieces to the side. "The brother that has stolen my sword will become my servant and the other will be killed, because he will only get in the way and try to prevent his brother's change. Nevertheless, for now let the brother that stole the Blood Sword become less like himself and frighten the very man his wishes to impress. If my plan works out completely - which it will - then eventually this world will be my plaything!"

Max laughs crazily as he exits backstage ready to work his magic. Raphael enters stage left and sits on the old couch at left center. Raphael lifts the sword in the air as he inspects it. He is delighted to have the sword in his hands at last. "Ah, this blade is remarkably made! I just adore how it shines in this dim light!" Raphael said. A strange blue light surrounds Raphael's body, but he does not notice it; slowly the light enters his body.

A smirk spreads across Raphael's thin lips. "Dimitri is never going to believe how I grabbed the Sorcerer's infamous sword right from under Max's nose!" The strange light fades as Dimitri enters the living room from stage left. He stands directly in front of Raphael, but a few feet away. Dimitri notices the Blood Sword in Raphael's left hand.

"RAPHAEL, I THOUGHT WE PROMISED EACH OTHER THAT NEITHER ONE OF US WAS GOING TO STEAL THAT GODFORSAKEN SWORD FROM MAX?" Dimitri yelled.

"You do know that not everyone keeps his or her promises, right?" Raphael hissed.

"Yeah, but still we have always kept our promises, Raphael! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?" Dimitri said quietly.

"YOU THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME, DO YOU NOT?" The change begins; Raphael's eyes, which are a deep brownish color, now have a red lining around the edges of the iris.

"I just said that," Dimitri said quietly. "Raphael, you have to give Richard back his sword before you become cursed!"

"You are quite too late, little boy!" Max said quietly to himself from within the shadows.

"You always got everything from our parents when we were younger and even now, you still do! However, since I am younger than you are I always get the pass-me-downs! You always get everything you want, brother. Why can you not let me have something for once?" Raphael said reluctantly. Raphael's canines grow long and pointed, they pass down an inch below his lower lip.

"There are several reasons why I will not let you have that sword! One reason is because you are changing into some kind of creature, and that damned sword is changing you! Now give it back to Max or I will have to take it away from you by force! Moreover, you know I do not usually do things like that. However, I will do everything in my power to protect you, and you should know that!" Dimitri persisted. Raphael's ears grow pointed.

"NEVER! IT IS MINE! MOREOVER, NO ONE CAN TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME! IT IS MINE! MOREOVER, NEITHER YOU NOR ANYONE ELSE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Raphael said in an unwilling tone. Raphael still does not notice the changes that his body is going through, his skin color goes from fair to extremely pale, and finally his nails grow long and pointed like a Vampire's nails.

_There are only two options __that __I can__ use__ to save my brother – __(1)__ is to fight __Rapha__el to knock him back into his senses and __(__2) I need to get that cursed sword out of __Rapha__el's hands. I am disappointed with this development, but it has to be done. If I want to protect my brother from this Dark Path that he has chosen. I care too much about my brother to let him continue like this, I never wanted this for my brother._ Dimitri thought.

Dimitri draws his sword from its sheath, which is always strapped at his left side, and he prepares himself for a fight. The Blood Sword takes over Raphael's body causing it to jolt in the process. Raphael is completely possessed by the Blood Sword. "You think that puny Mortal blade will be useful against me, a Creature of the Night. You are a very pathetic man, Dimitri! I am a Vampire and you are just a mere Human being! You will lose this fight brother!" Raphael said as he stands up and confronts his brother.

"At last, the Blood Sword has transformed that power hungry and ambitious brat into my servant! Now Raphael will kill the bothersome Dimitri and I may finally be able to take the needed steps for world domination! Raphael is now a Vampire that will do everything I say!" Max whispered from within the shadows. Max laughs evilly as he continues to work his magic. Raphael feels the strong magic flowing through him, compelling him to attack his brother; he resists it for the moment. Raphael's body trembles as he fights the magic of the strong Demon. He again reminisces on his past, voice softening as he speaks.

"What have I done? I never intended for this to happen. Why do things always tend to go wrong when I finally get something I truly want? This happened when I first got my very own sword. I was nine-years-old when that happened. A boy always bothered me. When he saw my sword, he made fun of it, because like everything else I owned, it was a pass-me-down sword. That is your old sword, Dimitri. He was starting to piss me off, and I pulled my sword out of its sheath and stabbed it through the boy's heart. He died instantly. At that very moment, I felt like I could do anything I wanted to do. All I wanted was more power! Thus, the Blood Sword has been influencing my actions ever since I first saw it. What I want to know is why everything seems to go wrong when I finally get something I truly want? What is wrong with me? What did I ever do to deserve this harsh treatment to begin with?" Raphael said as he finally comes to his senses.

The Blood Sword takes over Raphael's body again, causing his body to jolt even worse than before. He becomes outraged. "DIE YOU GODFORSAKEN BASTARD!" The brother Dimitri remembers is somewhat unaware of what is taking place around him. The possessed Raphael attacks Dimitri without thinking.

_I am truly sorry __Rapha__el, but I have to do this. It__ may be__the __only way __to__ save you from __a__ Dark Path__.__I hope that it will not__ hurt you too much._ Dimitri thought. Dimitri blocks Raphael's attack, but his possessed brother keeps on attacking leaving Dimitri only to defend himself. When the ambitious brother comes in for another strike, Dimitri blocks the thoughtless attack with some difficulty. While Raphael is distracted, Dimitri knocks the Blood Sword out of Raphael's left hand in a single moment using the handle of his own sword. The Blood Sword hits the floor with a clank of the blade. Dimitri puts his sword back in its sheath.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?" Raphael asked in a clueless tone.

"I just freed you from the Blood Sword's hold..." Dimitri said quietly.

"What did I just do . . . ? I feel like a caged bird that can never fly, because every time I get something I truly want; things always go wrong. Horribly wrong. Why does this always happen to me? Why? What did I do wrong to deserve this harsh treatment?" Raphael asked in a quiet voice. Raphael falls to his knees in shock; his anger builds to a critical point.

"Raphael why didn't your body change back to normal?" Raphael asked concerned. Max enters the room from the shadows and moves to stand at center while the brothers are at left side. He is not amused that his plan has failed.

"You think you have won, little boy? If you do then you are in for a world of hurt!" Max asked. Max has a short sword drawn; it is in his right hand.

"I cannot even bring myself to look at either of you, not after what just happened. Why do things always tend to go wrong when I finally get something I truly want? This has happened to me ever since I was a little kid. Moreover, I cannot believe I just fought my own brother over a sword..." Raphael said quietly.

"Things go wrong with you every time you get something you truly want, because you are one of three types of people that my magic can affect. My magic can affect people that are ambitious, power hungry, and/or bloodthirsty. You have been two of these key components from the very beginning, when you first laid eyes on the Blood Sword. I have been watching you for a long time now, and you have never failed to impress me yet," Max said in a matter-of-fact tone. Max leans heavily on his cane, which is in his left hand.

"But I have learned that trying to become more powerful will only hurt Dimitri and me, and I do not want that to happen to anybody I care about!" Raphael said in a low voice.

"You are just like all of the others. You still desire power; otherwise, you would have killed me already. This one thing I know you will never do... You are even more pathetic as a..." Max said nonchalantly. Then he spits the last word. "...Vampire!" Raphael's anger finally reaches its boiling point and he attacks Max, his left hand outstretched. Max tries to block the attack with his short sword, but the outraged Vampire brother breaks the sword into pieces and his hand, fingers first, goes through Max's unprotected chest killing him slowly. Raphael withdraws his hand from Max's chest and moves to stand next to the shocked Dimitri, who can clearly see the Demon's blood on Raphael's left hand.

"RAPHAEL, YOU BASTARD I GAVE YOU AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF POWER AND THIS IS HOW YOU PAY ME BACK BY KILLING ME. YOU STILL IMPRESS ME, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE JUST BETRAYED ME!" Max chocked out the words. Raphael ignores the dying Demon and kneels beside his shocked brother.

"I did not kill you to impress you; I only killed you to prove to you that I am not like all the others, now you can consider us even. Moreover, to make us even further even, you will never plague this village again! I will never allow this event to occur again as long as I live if I have to!" Max spits up blood as he speaks, blood rolls down his chin, he yells.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU WILL BE CURSED FOREVER NOW! YOU WILL NEVER FIND THE CURE FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE! I KNOW THIS!" Max yelled. Max laughs before he dies, his body hitting the floor with a solid thud. Dimitri falls to his knees with a sigh of relief. Raphael looks at the blood on his left hand thoughtfully, and then he wipes his hand on his robes. Dimitri's voice drags Raphael from his thoughts.

"What about your body, Raphael. Will it change back? I really do hope it will change back to normal," Dimitri asked in a concerned voice.

"No, my body will not change back, because I held the Blood Sword for too long. I know this because I felt my body settle into this newly acquired form. Besides Dimitri, this is my mistake not yours, so let me deal with it alone," Raphael said calmly. Raphael picks up the Blood Sword and puts it in its sheath, which is strapped at his right side; he runs his right hand along the sheath thoughtfully. Dimitri's voice, again, drags Raphael from his thoughts.

"I will not allow you to deal with this alone. Besides what did Max mean when he said you would be cursed forever?" Dimitri said protectively.

"Max said that because I murdered him when he is the only 'man' that actually has the cure for the curse that the Blood Sword has put on me. The Blood Sword told me that the owner has the cure for any of the curses that he and/or she can put on someone else," Raphael said thoughtfully.

"That really sucks big time."

"That is the only problem that has occurred out of everything that has happened tonight, but some good has come out of it as well."

"What do you mean, Raphael?"

"Well for one we are still together, and now I have the ability to give you eternal life without changing your physical being. Well, you will become another Vampire, which might be a good thing," Raphael said in a calm voice.

"What do you mean, Raphael?" Raphael breaks down the information just a bit further so that his shocked brother can comprehend it.

"I can give you immortal life using the magic I gained when I became a Vampire, which was my own stupidity anyway. Do you wish for me to do the spell?" Dimitri nods his head slightly. Raphael begins the spell; silver-blue magic surrounds Raphael's hands and Dimitri's body. When the spell is complete, Dimitri and Raphael sit on their behinds.

"Hey that ticked! Anyway, we will protect this village from anybody that is just like Max with our new found abilities - Vampire and Vampire - working together to protect their beloved home," Dimitri laughed. Raphael nods his head absentmindedly.

"Yes and the Blood Sword will be used for good instead of evil; to fight Demons like Max! Moreover, we will be able to protect our home for all eternity if we have to."

"I do believe I just said that. You know this meeting with Max and you being cursed to be a Vampire for all eternity have brought us even closer together than before."

"Yes, I know that already, but I do hope you know we will be protecting this village at different times of the day."

"What do you mean?"

"You will protect the village during the hours of the Day, since you are kindhearted Vampire - therefore you can work and survive in the sunlight. In addition, I will protect the village during the hours of the Night, since I am now a ruthless Vampire - and I cannot work or survive in the sunlight. Do you understand?"

"I understand, brother. Let us promise each other something."

"And what may that be?" Dimitri looks at Max's body and sees a pool of blood has formed around it, and then he replies to Raphael's question.

"We will never let a sword or anything else comes between us again. Moreover, we will train together as we use to, okay. That means when I say something is dangerous, it usually is - and it means leave whatever it is alone, understand?"

"Agreed, but you have to promise me something as well."

"And that is?"

"You will never touch the Blood Sword or anything that has to deal with the Dark Side, because you will become cursed just as I did and I do not want that to happen to you, do you understand? I have always worried about your well-being even though I am younger than you are. I know you will never touch the Blood Sword; I just want you to promise me that you will never touch anything that has to do with the Dark Side."

"I know and I agree to your terms." They hug briefly. The lights go out as the brothers leave Max's house stage left leaving his body on the living room floor.

pg. 15


End file.
